
NOTE.—"To Jesus in His agony on the cross there came one gleam of
comfort. It was the prayer of the penitent thief. Both the men who were
crucified with Jesus had at first railed upon Him; and one under his suffering
only became more desperate and defiant. But not so with his companion.
This man was not a haidened criminal; he had been led astray by evil asso-
ciations. . . . The dying thieves have no longer anything to fear from man.
But upon one of them presses the conviction that there is a God to fear, a
future to cause him to tremble. And now, all sin-polluted as it is, his fe
history is about to close."—The
Desire of Ages,
pages 749, 750.
2.
What dying appeal did the penitent thief then make to his
Saviour? Luke 23:42.
NOTE.—"The Holy Spirit illuminates his mind, and little by little the chain
of evidence is joined together. In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon
the cross, he sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.
Hope is mingled with anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying soul casts
himself upon a dying Saviour."—The
Desire of Ages,
page 750.
3.
What response came from the dying Saviour to this appeal?
Luke 23:43.
NOTE.—"He Himself did not go that day to Paradise. He slept in the
tomb, and on the morning of the resurrection He said, 'I am not yet ascended
to My Father.' But on the day of the crucifixion, the day of apparent defeat
and darkness, the promise was given. 'Today' while dying upon the cross as
a malefactor, Christ assures the poor sinner, Thou shalt be with Me in Para-
dise."—The Desire of Ages,
page 751.
The Son of God Provides for His. Mother
4.
What women are mentioned as standing by the cross? John
19:25.
5.
When Jesus saw His mother, how did He provide for her
future care? Into whose care did He commit her? John 19:26, 27.
NOTE.—"As the eyes of Jesus wandered over the multitude about Him,
one figure arrested His attention. At the foot of the cross stood His mother,
supported by the disciple John. She could not endure to remain away from
her Son; and John, knowing that the end was near, had brought her again
to the cross. In His dying hour, Christ remembered His mother. . . . 0
pitiful, loving Saviour; amid all His physical pain and mental anguish; He
had a thoughtful care for His mother! He had no money with" which to
provide for her comfort; but He was enshrined in the heart of John, and He
gave His mother to him as a precious legacy. Thus He
j
provided for her that
which she most needed,—the tender sympathy of one who loved her because
she loved Jesus. And in receiving her as a sacred trust, John was receiving
a great blessing. She was a. constant reminder of his beloved Master."-The
Desire of Ages,
pages 751, 752.
Inanimate Nature Witnesies to His Divinity
6.
What supernatural occurrence witnessed to the placing of the
world's sin on the Lamb of God, thus
-
,sepaating the Father's face
from His Son? Matt. 27:45; 1 Peter 2:24;
-
first part.
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